A systematic review and a comprehensive approach to PhD students' wellbeing.

The pursuit of a doctoral degree is a challenging process that can have a negative impact on the wellbeing of PhD students. Therefore, the aim here is to offer a systematic review of the current state of the literature on wellbeing among PhD students and the variables it involves in order to build an integrative model that will enrich future research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology for systematic reviews has been used to lay out the process in a flow diagram. We systematically review studies up to 2021 (N = 38) published on the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. The results show the current state of the literature on wellbeing in PhD students, the characteristics of the studies (location, study design, and sample), how the literature defines the concept, the variables involved, the study limitations, and future perspectives to improve the quality of life of doctoral students. Finally, a comprehensive approach to the topic is presented in an integrative model that encompasses all variables identified in the literature and offers a guide for future research.

Perceived Stress and Perceived Lack of Control of Spanish Education-Degree University Students: Differences Dependent on Degree Year, Basis for Admission and Gender.

Stress in higher education students is an issue of growing concern, as stress impacts quality of life and has been linked to drop-out from higher education. The aim was to investigate how stress was related to how far along students were in their degree program, using the Spanish Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10). We expected 1) first-year education students to experience more perceived lack of control than second-year students, 2) second-year students to experience more perceived stress than first-year students. Participants were students in three university education-degree programs (N = 399). The psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress (PS) and Perceived Lack of Control (PLC) subscales were investigated using Rasch models. One item was eliminated from each subscale. The estimated interval-level Rasch scores were utilized for testing hypotheses with general linear models. Results showed a somewhat more complex pattern than predicted as interaction effects between degree year and gender and between degree year and basis for admission were found.

Critical thinking of psychology students: A within- and cross-cultural study using Rasch models.

The primary aim of this study was to conduct a cross-cultural comparison of the level of critical thinking of Danish and Spanish psychology students (N = 788) attending innately different bachelor-level courses; personality psychology and introductory statistics/research methods. Several instruments are available for the assessment of critical thinking (CTh), but most are, however, unsuitable for use in large surveys with many constructs, due to length or single-person administration formats. One brief and much-used scale is the CTh scale in the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), used in this study. To ensure unbiased comparisons across countries and courses, our secondary aim was to investigate the content validity, as well as the psychometric properties, of the CTh scale to ensure the most accurate and unbiased comparison. For this purpose, Rasch and graphical loglinear Rasch models were used. After reducing the number of items due to content validity issues, the CTh scale fitted Rasch models within each national sample, and was measurement invariant relative to age group, gender, course and university. In the cross-cultural item analysis, two items functioned differentially relative to nationality, and the scale fitted a graphical loglinear Rasch model. CTh scores related to introductory statistics/research methods courses differed significantly from scores related to personality psychology, for Danish students only.

Comunicación intra-familiar y cáncer de mama / Intra-family communication and breast cancer

Introducción: El cáncer de mama es el tumor maligno que más afecta a la mujer. Un diagnóstico que incluye la palabra cáncer de por sí contiene una connotación negativa. Esta enfermedad impacta en la dinámica familiar, siendo la comunicación una de las dimensiones que con frecuencia se estudian en la intervención con familias. Objetivo: El objetivo de la investigación que se presenta es analizar la comunicación que se genera a partir del diagnóstico de cáncer de mama entre una madre y sus hijos, marido o pareja. Método: Se emplea un diseño de investigación con métodos mixtos. La muestra está compuesta por doce mujeres con diagnóstico de cáncer de mama, con edades comprendidas entre los 43 y 55 años. Los instrumentos utilizados son la escala de comunicación familiar (FCS), y una entrevista semiestructurada. Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la comunicación intrafamiliar varía según la edad de los hijos, siendo ésta más baja cuando son menores de 15 años. Conclusiones: Una comunicación efectiva en la familia no es la cura de ninguna enfermedad, pero sí mejora la manera en que la familia en su conjunto se enfrenta a ésta y contribuye a la eliminación de situaciones de estrés y malestar en la mujer (AU)

Introduction: Breast cancer is the malignant tumour which affects more women. A diagnosis that includes the word 'cancer' has a negative connotation. This disease impacts on the family dynamics, and communication is one of the dimensions which are frequently studied in the intervention with families. Objective: The aim of this research is to analyse the communication between a mother and her children, husband or partner, developed after a breast cancer diagnosis. Method: A mixed method research design was used. The sample was composed of twelve women diagnosed with breast cancer, aged between 43 and 55. The instruments used in this study were the Family Communication Scale (FCS) and a semi-structured interview. Results: The outcomes show that intra-family communication varies according to the age of the children, being lower when they are under 15 years old. Conclusions: Effective communication in the family is not the cure for any disease, but it improves the way the family as a whole deals with it and it contributes to eliminate stress situations and discomfort in the woman (AU)